On April 5, 2018, Phase 2 of the PA Department of Health’s permitting for commercial medical marijuana cultivation and dispensary operations will begin.

13 Grower/Processor permits will be available, two in each of the six DOH regions, and the 13th going to the highest scorer. 23 Dispensary permits will be available, nine in Region 1, three in Regions 2 and 3, two in Regions 4 and 6, and four in Region 5. Applications will be available online at www.medicalmarijuana.pa.gov on April 5, and the submission deadline will be May 17.

In June 2017, 12 Grower/Processor and 27 Dispensary permits were granted. According to April Hutcheson of DOH:

25,573 patients have registered to participate in the PA program;

9,020 patient certifications have issued;

7,000 of those patients have purchased their ID cards;

6,683 patients have bought medical marijuana in a PA dispensary;

866 physicians have been registered to participate in the program; and

473 of the registered physicians have been approved.

Given the very real possibility that PA will approve the use of dry flower products, i.e., smoking and edibles, this summer, the PA market is positioned for strong performance over the next few years.

The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act uniquely provides for a special class of licenses for growers and dispensaries to partner with medical schools to undertake real clinical research on medical marijuana.

On January 3, 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) published for comment the final clinical registrant regulations. The process of issuing these licenses will be underway shortly. While other states are focused on increasing the availability of nonmedical adult-use marijuana, Pennsylvania seeks to become the leader in clinical research on the medical benefits of cannabis.

Attend any of the conferences or trade shows springing up in the emerging legalized recreational and medical marijuana space, and one thing you’ll notice is an absence of racial diversity. Why?

There are a number of possible explanations for the comparatively low number of minorities participating in the space, including, high start-up costs and restricted access to capital, especially given the reluctance of commercial banks to enter the fray, and limited political ties in a highly politicized system. Those reasons alone could be creating barriers for minorities to enter the market as owners and investors. Continue reading Racial Discrimination in the Legal Cannabis Space: New Industry, Same Old Story???→

On April 17, 2016, Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes when Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed into law Senate Bill 3, known as the “Medical Marijuana Act” (the “Act”). While the Act will become effective on May 17, 2016, its implementation will not be fully realized until various reports and regulations contemplated in the Act are developed. The Act will be administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (the “Department”).

Cannabis Industry

Duane Morris attorneys in offices throughout the U.S. have extensive experience with the wide array of issues attendant to legal cannabis business activities, including licensing for cultivation, processing and dispensing; litigation; banking and finance; raising and deploying capital; protecting intellectual property; real estate development; public company representation and SEC filings; land use and zoning; healthcare and research; and taxation.